Bowel Cleansers Get FDA Warning

May 5, 2006 | AP

Federal health officials warned Friday of kidney failure associated with certain products used to cleanse the bowel before colonoscopies and other procedures.

The Food and Drug Administration said in an alert to doctors and patients that it has documented 22 cases of acute phosphate nephropathy, a rare but serious form of kidney failure associated with the use of oral sodium phosphates. The products cleanse the bowel by causing patients to loose large amounts of fluid through bowel movements.

Of the cases, 21 involved patients given solutions such as Fleet Phospho-soda or Fleet Accu-Prep. One patient had taken Visicol tablets. None had taken OsmoPrep tablets, a recently approved oral sodium phosphate product, the FDA said.

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